As a result of advances in health care, hospitals and other care providers now have the ability to continually monitor a patient's physiology and overall condition. Currently, such facilities use EKGs, pulse oximeters, and other devices to continually monitor an individual's conditions. These sensory systems are invaluable in monitoring an individual's condition and administering the proper care. However, existing sensory systems exhibit several deficiencies.
More specifically, existing sensory systems are bulky and require considerable resources. For example, existing sensory systems such as capnometers, pulse oximeters, heart rate monitors, and other devices are large and typically contain several parts and wires. Consequently, they must be intentionally removed to gain access to the patient or to transport him or her. Additionally, it is well known that sensory devices such as heart rate sensor wires, oxygen monitors, etc. are inadvertently unhooked when a person shifts in his or her bed or seat. Finally, patients or family members frequently disconnect the sensory equipment because the patient is uncomfortable.
In addition, existing sensory devices display and/or print individual reports which must either be recorded at the time they are issued or retrieved and incorporated into an individual's records for subsequent retrieval. Moreover, some devices actually print or issue their reports at a remote location which must be later transported and added to an appropriate individual's chart. Unfortunately, test results or charts are occasionally assigned to a patient other than the patient whose data is on the chart or test results. This problem is especially exacerbated where multiple patients are housed together in the same room or during emergencies; situations where care must be especially taken to avoid patient misidentification. The same concerns are equally prevalent under non-emergency conditions. Moreover, one patient's charts can be inadvertently placed in another patient's room. As a result, individuals may be misdiagnosed or given incorrect treatment. In fact, there have even been incidents where surgeries are performed on the wrong patients.
Finally, patients, doctors, nurses or others remove current identification bands for several reasons. For example, patients cut or tear off the bands when they feel uncomfortable. As a result, doctors and nurses cannot identify the patient and are unable to associate the patient with his/her chart. In addition, doctors and hospital workers also cut the ID bands merely for their own convenience during insertion of intravenous or intra-arterial catheters or during surgery. Furthermore, doctors routinely remove the ID bands prior to procedures involving extremities or when blood flow to an extremity is compromised by swelling related to inflammation, burn or edema. When the procedure is completed they are inadvertently not reattached or cannot be reattached. Consequently, workers must rely on memory or educated guesses to recall a patient's identity and correctly associate the patient with his or her chart/history.
The present invention discloses a system which solves or at least substantially reduces the impact of these problems associated with existing sensory mechanisms and identification systems.
Specifically, there is a need for an integrated diagnostic and identification system which monitors physiological activities, stores the results, and correctly identifies a patient. The diagnostic and identification device of the present invention incorporates extremity sensors to measure physiologic vital signs such as, for example, blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, tonometry, blood oxygen saturation, and/or pO2. The present invention provides a single comprehensive physiology monitoring device without using patch sensors and transducers.
Consequently, the integrated sensory and identification system of the present invention assesses a patient's physiologic status. In fact, the present invention advantageously provides one small device which performs various sensory functions. Therefore, the present invention is easily transported, can continually accompany the patient, and requires fewer resources such as energy than existing sensory mechanisms. Additionally, the present invention cannot be easily removed and thus provides more reliable and timely results.
Significantly, the present invention may also store test results for subsequent retrieval. This helps a care provider or other individual with the ability to view current or past physiologic conditions. More importantly, it helps reduce incidents of incorrect association of results with incorrect individuals. In turn, the present invention improves quality of care by inhibiting problems with mishandling and loss of test results.
Finally, the present invention helps health care providers as well as other individuals retain more accurate diagnostic records. The diagnostic and identification system of the present invention may be equipped to directly transmit patient identification and diagnostic information to a patient record management system, physician digital assistant, tablet PC, or any other device.
In accordance with the invention therefore:
It is one object and advantage of the present invention to provide an integrated diagnostic and identification mechanism.
It is another object and advantage of the present invention to provide an integrated diagnostic and identification system which is difficult to remove.
It is still further object and advantage of yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention to provide an integrated sensory and identification system which associates physiologic measurements with a specific patient.
It is yet another object and advantage of the present invention to provide an integrated diagnostic and identification system with a locking mechanism which may only be unlocked using a separate key.
It is an object and advantage of one exemplary embodiment of the present invention to automatically unlock the diagnostic and identification system based on extremity sensors.
It is further an object and advantage of another exemplary embodiment of the present invention to store patient information.
It is an additional object of yet another embodiment of the invention to provide a diagnostic and identification system which communicates with a patient record management system or other device.
The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention when taken together with the accompanying drawings of the present invention.